THE OCEANS OF EUROPA AND GANYMEDE. AQUEOUS SOLUTION UNDER PRESSURE AS POTENTIAL HABITATS O. Prieto-Ballesteros (1), V. Muñoz-Iglesias (1) and L. Jiménez Bonales (1, 2) (1) Centro de Astrobiología. INTA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain (2) Complutense University, Madrid, Spain

M OTIVATION There are some indirect evidences of the presence of liquid reservoirs in the interior of Europa and Ganymede. There are no direct data about the characteristics of aqueous cryomagmas yet. Cryomagmatic processes have interest for Astrobiology because involve relative warm water rich liquids Simulation experiments can provide some knowledge about the chemical reactions and geological processes that can be expected to occur at subsurface conditions The information that we already have about the endogenic materials at the surface, the geochemical models of the satellite, and the geophysical models about the internal structure, are used for setting up the experiments Experiments: Crystallization of gas clathrates from salty solutions Solubility of gases under pressure in salty solutions Processes of fractional crystallization of cryomagmas Evolution of aqueous liquids Environmental constraints for habitability

C ONSTRAINTS EUROPA Pressure. We consider a total pressure range from 1 to 1800 bar, taking into account a water ice crust of 20km (≈240 bar) and a total water-rich layer of km (cryomagmas ascend into the crust) Temperature, dependent on the solution composition Composition. We assume the aqueous composition is mainly sulfate rich, with CO 2 (sulfuric acid and other salts are also considered)

E QUIPMENT Two different high pressure chambers located at Centro de Astrobiología (CAB-INTA-CSIC), Madrid, are available for making these experiments: HPPSC (High Pressure Planetary Simulation Chamber), which working pressure range is bar (extendable up to bars), the sample volume is 10ml. It has four ports for making different in situ analysis, including sapphire windows for optical measurements MPPSC (Moderate-high pressure Planetary Simulation Chamber), which maximum working pressure is 300bar, the volume is variable up to 50ml due to a mobile piston. It also has a window for spectroscopic measurements Both chambers are made of stainless steel and have automatic control system for temperature and pressure. Raman and ultraviolet spectroscopy have been the main techniques used during the experiments.

HPPSC P Hydraulic compressor Pressure transducer High Pressure Chamber CO 2 V1 V2 V3 Thermal fluid Sapphire window Thermocouple Pressure transducer P Optic system Laser CCD Monochromator Optic Fibers

MPPSC

C LATHRATE FORMATION FROM M G SO4 SOLUTIONS There were not any experiment on CO 2 -clathrates formed from MgSO 4 -H 2 O in the literature Salts are inhibitors of clathrate formation. Sulfates affects less than chlorides Theoretical models shows a decrease of temperature of 3-4 degrees in the dissociation line

P ROCEDURE FOR CLATHRATE FORMATION Clathrates are formed from a solution saturated in CO 2 and different concentration of MgSO 4 (5, 10, 17% weight) Formation cycle: ABCD Analysis of the kinetic of clathrate formation by Raman Calibration: evolution of the brine using the SO 4 2- peaks

R AMAN MONITORING OF CLATHRATE FORMATION

E VOLUTION OF THE SOLUTION CO 2 bands (1280 and 1380 cm-1): Fermi bands are displaced, hot bands disappear SO 4 2- band change during the formation of clathrates. It increases in the first moment, and finally decreases if saturation of the salt produce its precipitation

A PPLICATION TO EUROPA Formation of clathrates in aqueous reservoir may produce the fractional differentiation of the cryomagmatic liquids A: H 2 O-CO 2 -MgSO 4 cryomagmatic chamber B: CO 2 clathrates crystallize C: Brine concentrates and separates, salts can precipitate D: Dissociation by P/T change. Clean H 2 O-CO 2 cryomagmas can erupt

S OLUBILITY OF CO 2 IN SALTY SOLUTIONS There are solubility data of CO 2 in some brines at different pressures (chlorides, Na-sulfate) but not MgSO 4 and just to relative high pressures Solubility CO2 in a brine 22% Na2SO4

E FFECT OF PRESSURE ON THE SOLUBILITY OF CO 2 IN M G SO 4 Dependence of the CO2 solubility in a 3% MgSO4 solution with pressure. This analysis have been done for different concentrations of sulfate

A PPLICATION TO EUROPA Pressure (MPa) Buoyancy of briny cryomagmas and style of the eruption Cryomagmas charged in gas can suffer exolution if they depressurize to form a foam that has low density

A PLICATION TO EUROPA Following the terrestrial models, if volume% of gas is up to 75% of cryomagma, fragmentation would occur and the cryomagma could erupt violently to the surface mNa2SO4Td(m) Depth where the pressure for fragmentation can be reached in the crust of Europa

C ONCLUSIONS Cryomagmatic liquids have astrobiology interest The evolution of cryomagmas from the interior of Europa may occur by several processes (final products, including biosignatures could be the exposed materials at the surface) Simulation in laboratory may help to understand how these processes occur Clathration may be a style of differentiation in icy satellites Exolution of gases in sulfate-rich aqueous cryomagmas may derive in briny cryomagma buoyancy and explosive cryovolcanism